


Personal Growth

by literati42



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Hurt Malcolm Bright, Hurt/Comfort, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Malcolm Bright Whump, Malcolm and JT friendship, Police corruption, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:35:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23162608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literati42/pseuds/literati42
Summary: Bad Things Happen Bingo: Black EyeBright considered it a matter of personal growth that his first thought in the split second between seeing the fist coming and it connecting with his face was, “I probably brought this on myself.”A Malcolm and JT friendship fic
Relationships: Malcolm Bright & JT Tarmel
Comments: 12
Kudos: 211





	Personal Growth

**Author's Note:**

> Part of the Bad Things Happen Bingo challenge which you can find here:  
> https://badthingshappenbingo.tumblr.com/
> 
> As always, if you like my work check out the link here:  
> https://wp.me/p9PW9O-8I  
> To learn about everything I'm working on and other fandom related things I think you might enjoy!
> 
> Connect with me on tumblr @literati42 and on twitter @themythofpsyche

Bright considered it a matter of personal growth that his first thought in the split second between seeing the fist coming and it connecting with his face was, “I probably brought this on myself.”

“Better growth would be moving,” JT said, frowning down at him, and slowly helping him sit up. The profiler cringed, realizing for the first time he had said the observation aloud.

“You don’t get to pick your growth, JT,” he said. “What happened to the detective that hit me?”

“I took care of him.”

Malcolm opened his rapidly swelling eye as much as he could to look at JT. “In the mob sense…”

JT did not look amused, “No. I sent him to Gil.”

Malcolm’s eyebrows flew up painfully. “You sent him to Gil? Detective JT Tarmel, that is cold-blooded.” Now the slightest smirk crossed JT’s lips. The profiler shifted to get up, but even the simple movement sent the world spinning. “Whoa.”

JT put a restraining hand on his shoulder. “Nope. You’re sitting here till the ambulance gets here.”

“Ambulance?” Malcolm said, “You called an ambulance?”

“No, but your fan club did,” he said.

“My fan…Edrisa?”

JT nodded. “You went down hard. Guess you were too distracted by your personal growth to block.”

“Ha,” Malcolm replied tonelessly. He leaned his head back on the wall.

“Dizzy?”

“I’m fine,” he said, as the world spun. “I can’t believe he hit me.”

“Yeah, you know, a new detective closing his first big case may not be excited to hear a consultant say he’s wrong. Especially a wild ass consultant not even working his case.”

“Well, he was obviously wrong,” Bright said, “I didn’t have to look at it long to see that.” JT raised an eyebrow. “What, you’d rather I stay silent?”

“Nah man, do what you gotta do,” he said, “But maybe consider proper channels or boxing lessons.”

“I’m trained in martial arts,” Bright replied defensively. “I just…didn’t expect him to punch me.”

“You can’t really throw stones, isn’t the only reason you’re on this team because you punched a sheriff?”

“He had it coming,” Bright replied, frowning.

“He only had himself to blame?”

Bright turned to him in confusion.

“It’s Tally’s favorite musical…never mind. So, what did he do?”

The profiler closed his eyes again. “You’ve heard the rumors.”

“They vary wildly.”

“Do they?”

“Probably,” JT said, leaning back on the wall too, “In case you haven’t noticed, people don’t gather around gossiping to me either.”

Malcolm peaked at JT, now only one eye would really open, but he still had to see the look on the detective’s face. “I had noticed you don’t seem to…hang around the water cooler.” He frowned, “Dani either.”

“Or Edrisa,” JT replied.

“Why?” Bright asked.

“You’re the profiler,” JT replied, “Figure it out.”

Malcolm heard the challenge in JT’s voice. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

“You still with me?” JT said after a moment of silence.

“You are suggesting the four of us have something in common,” Malcolm said, “The team was put together by Gil.” He tilted his head to the side. “He saved my life, and Dani said the same thing, but that’s not it. Not exactly it because it has to include you and Edrisa too, and it has to do with the office gossip.” Malcolm leaned forward slightly, rubbing his forehead.

“You good?” JT asked, a steadying hand on his shoulder.

“Headache,” Malcolm answered, the pain knocking the word out before he thought better of it. He added a quick, “I’m fine.”

“Right,” JT said doubtfully.

“I don’t see what you are getting at,” Malcolm said.

“Yeah, that’s probably the concussion,” JT said, “Or maybe you don’t know everything?”

“No one approaches me with gossip,” Malcolm went on as if JT had not spoken. “Because I’m not…good at making friends.”

“You don’t say?”

“And Edrisa. Her enthusiasm. People can be harsh on those who are as open with their enthusiasm as she is,” he said. “She and I are weird.” He shook his head, “But you and Dani are…” He frowned as if searching for the word. “Weird isn’t the descriptor that jumps to mind.”

“Thank you?” JT said, the question mark hanging in the air.

Bright’s eyes flew open. “But you are outsiders. You came from the military first, and Dani came over from narcotics. Neither one of you came up in the ranks of homicide. You’re outsiders because of that. I came from FBI, and Edrisa is the ME. Her enthusiasm aside, she isn’t part of the ‘inside’ crew of the station. There’s a fraternity mindset in precincts, but we are all outside of that. Thus the gossip missing us.” He looked at JT, an idea slowly forming in his mind. “He did that on purpose. I know Gil, I watched how the uncovered scandals, the corruption, the cases of police brutality weighed on him over the years. He wanted his team to be better, so he gathered outsiders he trusts who will be less influenced by the fraternity. We aren’t included, but because of that we can see things other people might let slide.” He closed his eyes again. “So, finding the problems is part of what our team is supposed to do.”

“Is this your way of defending why you got punched just now?” JT asked.

“Don’t act like that wasn’t what you were implying,” Bright said.

“Yeah? And you don’t act like I missed the fact that you never told me why you punched the sheriff.”

He was saved from having to come up with an answer as the EMTs arrived. The medic kneeled down in front of Malcolm. “You got quite the shiner,” she said.

“I’m fine. I just got punched.”

“And he hit the desk on his way down,” JT added.

“Did he lose consciousness at all?”

“For a minute at first. After that I kept him talking the whole time,” JT said.

“Wait,” Malcolm looked back at him, “Did you just give me a problem to solve to keep me talking?”

“Getting you talking isn’t a skill,” JT replied, “I would like to learn how to get you to stop.”

“If you hit the desk and then the floor, we’re going to need to do a scan,” the EMT said, interrupting. “Any dizziness? Headache?”

“Not really,” Malcolm said at the same time JT said, “Yes.”

“Right,” she said looking between them. “Come on.

_-_-_

JT let out a low whistle when Malcolm came into the precinct a few days later, the whole side of his face seemed to be one big bruise culminating in a truly spectacular black eye. Gil put a hand on his shoulder as he led the profiler in.

“As Bright discovered,” Gil said, “Detective Dixon was charging the wrong man.” He dropped a file on the desk, and motioned for Bright to sit.

“I told you I’m fine.”

“You do look bad,” Dani said as gently as she could. Gil gave him another push, and he finally sat.

“So,” Edrisa said, coming in right then, “Bright was right.” She turned to him and gasped. “Bright your face!”

He sighed, “It’s alright, Edrisa. I keep putting ice on it like I promised when you texted.” JT saw a gilt of uncharacteristic anger in the ME’s eyes, but it was not aimed at anyone in the room.

“Bright was right,” she said with force. “Detective Dixon, that…that…jerk…was not only wrong, but it turns out, he knew it. He planted the evidence.” She gave him a big smile, “Luckily, Bright caught the problems.”

“And a fist to the eye for his effort,” JT replied.

Bright cringed, “It does explain why he was so defensive.”

“You mean more than your complete lack of tact?” JT replied.

“If you two can keep from bickering, maybe go back to the crime scene and see what you make of it,” Gil said. “There’s a real criminal out there, and they’ve gotten away with it long enough.” JT stood, waiting for the profiler and falling in step beside him.

Malcolm must have noticed this because on his way out of the precinct, he said, “I’m not going to teeter over.”

“Sure about that?”

“JT,” he said, his tone more serious. “I didn’t say it before, but thank you. The doctor said if you hadn’t kept me awake…things could have been worse. You are a good…” JT watched him flounder a minute, insecurity on his face, “colleague.”

The detective directed his attention forward. He could not remember the last time someone thanked him that was not in costumer service. It was not that the detective felt unappreciated but more that a lot of these things went unsaid with the team. Except of course when you entered Bright into the equation, who tended to ignore unspoken rules and just barrel into situations. “You don’t need to thank me for not letting you die,” he said, trying to give Bright the hint to move on, which obviously, he did not take.

“Some people wouldn’t care one way or another if I died,” Malcolm said.

“Like the sheriff you punched.” JT stopped at his car. “You still haven’t told me why.”

“You still haven’t told me what JT stands for.”

JT gave yet another shrug, “Maybe, but only one of us is known for running his mouth to answer every possible question.” He got in the ca,r and Bright followed suit. When he glanced over, he saw a look on the profiler’s face. Bright had been around long enough that JT was starting to pick up in the shifts in his eyes, apparently well enough he could recognize them even when one eye was heavily masked by a bruise. He knew this look in particular, a look where Bright would go from bravado and showmanship to dark and haunted. JT had seen that shift more times than he could count, but then, Bright had more things to haunt him than JT could count too.

“He killed someone.”

JT did not know what he expected Malcolm to say, but that was not it. “The sheriff?”

The profiler gave one, tight nod. “In front of me. We were on the trail of a serial killer. I talked the suspect down. He was handing me his gun when the sheriff came in and shot him.” Bright stared straight through the windshield. “Almost hit me in the process. And then he swaggers around like he is some damn hero.” JT worked to balance watching the road and reading he other man’s expressions. “I’m not saying it was right to hit him, but I just…I was so sure the bureau would handle him. Punish him in some way for what he did…but they didn’t. He didn’t even get a warning.”

“And you got fired.”

He heard the noncommittal sound Malcolm made, then the profiler shifted.

“That’s fucked up,” JT said.

“Yeah,” Malcolm replied. “Now your turn.”

“My turn?”

“What does JT stand for?”

“I never agreed to those terms.”

“I just bared my soul.”

“No one forced you to do that.”

“You really aren’t going to tell me?”

JT made the last turn on the road to the crime scene. “Next time, get it in writing.” He motioned. “Grab the bag on the floor.” Bright did, picking up an insulated lunch bag and held it up in JT’s periphery like a question. “There’s an ice pack in there. Your face is getting painful to look at.”

Bright pulled out the icepack and settled it against his eye with a hiss. “You remain a lockbox of mystery, Detective JT Tarmel,” he said, “But I will crack it.”

“If you keep your mouth shut, the swelling will go down faster.”

“That’s not true.”

JT shrugged. “It was worth a shot.”

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to my deep writers block that struck when I realized I didn't know how JT would take a compliment, which led to that aside about him not wanting to be thanked.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed!
> 
> Again Please check out my link and share if you enjoy my work!  
> https://wp.me/p9PW9O-8I


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